Slack-adjuster for brakes.



J. E. ANGER.

SLACK ADJUSTER FOR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2.1915. 1 178 375 Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

THE COLUMBIA BL AlIlOflRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. D. I:'

J.E.ANGER SLACK ADJUSTER FOR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. I915.

Patented Apr. 4:, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 J. E. ANGER.

SLACK ADJUSTER FOR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1915.

1,178,375 Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- -fi d p 45 26 5 40 xlit essas EXEJIIYI WW rm! COLUMBIA PLAyOGRAPx-l can. WASHINGTON, D. c.

JOHN EDWARD ANGER, or rnnsron, ENGLAND.

SLACK- ADJUSTER FOR BRAKES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed February 2, 1915. Serial No. 5 ,722.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EDWARD ANGER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Preston, in the county of Lancaster, in the Kingdom of England, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Slack-Adjusters for Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates. to slack adjusters for railway and tramway brakes, and more 7 particularly to that type in which compensation for wear is taken'up by means of a ratchet driven screw mechanism.

The present invention consists in certain improvements in brake adjusters of the type referred to also in the applicationof such adjusters to any one of the several positions in which it is desired to locate the same, having regard to the class of truck or bogie to Which the brake is applied, and as. to whether the brake shoes are outside hungat endsof the truck, or are inside hung, that wheel .bogie truck wherein the brake applies its pressure from between the Wheels, and- Fig 5 is an end view of so much of the said truck as is necessary to show the adjuster;

Referringito. the drawings, it will be seen that the; slack-adjuster comprises a rod 1 provided with a left-hand thread for .engag5 ing a corresponding thread in a non-rotatable buckle 2, while the other end of the said r d s. pr ed; w th a; ght h n hread for engaging a corresponding; thread in: a. non ro a a l bu kl 3- At midngth the, rod 1 is not; threaded, and onthis unthreaded portion moun d a le v 4 having ratche teeth 5 on its. periphery. This. sleeve is locked to the rod by the pins6, so thatthe rod will be turned by the ratchet teeth '5 which. worksolidly with thes1eeve, and by hism ans h o is j s ed as regar its ngth, the end c les. 2,1 b ing? held g in rotation J urn dz fir ely' on, the sleeve sons to oscillatethereon, is a housing 7 8. This housing is in the form of a box 7 inclosing the ratchet wheel 5, and freely mounted on the sleeve so as to oscillate thereon, and a cover or lid 8 also freely moimted on the sleeve on the opposite side of the ratchet wheel to the box 7 this being secured to the box by bolts 9, whose threads are screwed into holes in the cover, as well as being secured by nuts, so as to form a nut-lock. The abutting faces 10 of the box and cover are machined soas to make a dust proof joint, and the housing 7, 8 has center bosses 7 X and 8 so as to provide a good wide bearing on the sleeve. Grooves 11 are cut in those parts of the outer periphery of the sleeve on which the housing 7, 8 is journaled, which grooves receive a suitable lubricating material, which not only lubricates the said journal bearings, but, closes the joint between thesaidhousing and sleeve so as to render the housing absolutely dust, dirt and water proof. The portion of the end of the sleeve 4 which projects beyond the housing is angular, so that it can be turned by a spanner or by hand. The, inside of the housing is provided at one part, with an embayment 13, in which is pivotally mounted by means of trunnionsa pawl 14, which is held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by means of; a spring 15. The trunnions 16 of this pawl which are tubular extend through holes in the housing 7, 8 said holes having extension bosses 17 so asto provide a good bearing surface for the trunnions. Through the trunnions passes a spindle 18, and integral with this spindle on the outside of the housing is the thumb lever 19 to disengage the pawl from the ratchet wheel, when required. The spindle 18 has longitudinal feathers 20 integral with the spindle and thumb lever. These interlock with corresponding slots in the trunnions when the spindle is thrust longitudinally into them,

i so that the turning of the thumb' lever will turn, the pawl, the other end of the spindle being secured; by a washer and split pin.

On the outside of the housing is a pair of lugs 21 between which one end of a chain or the like 2211s secured by means of a link 23 and bolt24, and alsoanotherpair of lugs 25 is provided, to which one end of the spring 26 is connected: by the bolt 27, this spring being" adapted to exert its pull in a contrary direction to that exerted by the chain, thus oscillating the housing back when the temporary application of the brake 1s discontinued. One of these lugs in each pair is cast on the box member 7 of the also rectilinear so that when the cover 8 and the box meml er 7 are brought-together, these rectilinear portions interlock, and insure the lugs being in register. The bolts.

24: and 27 have their threads screwed into one of the lugs as well as being secured by nuts, so as to form a nut-lock. Figs. Al and 5 show an arrangement for applying the adjuster to a brake which exerts its pressure from the inside, that is between the wheels,

thetype of truck illustrated in these figures being the equal wheel bogietruck of a bogie truck car. Referring to these figures, the brake comprises two brake beams 30, 31, which extend across the vehicle adjacent to the wheels and operate the brake shoes 32, the brake beams and brake shoes being suspended by links 33 from the bolster at of the truck. At about mid-lengtl'i of the brake beam 30 is bolted the brake rod 35, which has a pivoted connection with the live brake lever 36. The said brake lever 36operates in a vertical plane, and its long arm is coupled to the pull rod for putting on the brake, such rod being operated by hand" power, or by compressed air, or by vacuum, or by any other suitable form of brake mechanism. At mid-length of the brake beam 31 is bolted a brake rod 37, which is pivotally connected'with the dead brake'lever 38. The long arm of said brake lever abuts against the bolster 34:, which serves as a stop, and assumes the strain which is imposed when the brake pressure is applied. To the short arms of the brake levers 36, 38, are respectively coupled by pins 39, the buckles 2, 3 of the adjusterhereinbefore described, such adjuster together with its rod being located longitudinally of the bogie, that is at right angles to the wheel axles, directly below the brake rods 35 and 37 at about mid-width of the truck or the like. The chain 22 which is secured to the out side ofthe housing of the adjuster is passed over a guide pulley 40, and has its other end secured to the brake lever 36 by means of a shackle 41, which shackle is secured to the brake lever by a bolt 42 passing through the slot 43. serrations 44 are provided on the brake lever 36 in which corresponding serrations on the shackle 4:1 engage when the bolt 42 is screwed up. The spring 26 which is also connected at one end to the outside of the housing of the adjuster, is at its otherend secured to an eye piece of an adjustable bolt 45, said spring being in tension. The lu akej shoes are held normally clear ot the wheels by plate springs, such springs being secured to the bolster 34: so as to depend therefrom and act on the brake bcams3Q, 3l, ..also forcing the live brake lever 36 back it its normal position, when thetemporary application of the brakes on the wheels is discontinued. In operation ;.tl1e.brake lever 36 is pulled outward, and

this causes the brake shoes of both brake beams 30, 31 to be applied to the wheels, and also pulls the chain 22 which oscillates the housing 7' in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 5'). Should the lever 36 from the wear of the shoes travel farther than a given distance, this motion of the housing will causethe pawl 14; to travel more than the length of one tooth of theratchet wheel.

The pawl'will then hold in that tooth *and remain there until the brakes arereleased. Upon releasing the brake, the plate springs will force the brake beams 30, 31 and brake lever 36 back, and the spring26 will oscillate the housing back, which will causethe pawl to rotate the ratchet 5, whereby the thread ed GXtTQIHltlGS'Of: the rod 1 will be screwed out of the buckles 2, 3*a'little; The distance between the buckles is consequently in creased, and the brake levers 36,38 are pushed farther apart, thus taking up super fiuous slack. This operation is repeated as often'as'the travel of the brake lever 36' eX, ceeds the normal. It'will be seen that in this application of the invention, only one.

adjuster is required, to take upthe slack of four brake shoesf l/Vhen new brake shoes "are to be substituted, forthose which have been worn out, the rod 51 betweenthe brake levers 36 and 38 is shortened, so that the brake beams will swing inward far enough to leave the necessaryflclearance for the new shoes. This is readily done by lift? ing the pawl out of engagement 'with the teeth or" the ratchet wheel,-by means of the grooves receive a lubricating material to close the joint between the said housing and sleeve or" nut. H I

2. In a brake slack adjusten'the combination with a threaded brake rod, and a ratchet driven nut or sleeve engaging the same, of a closed housing journaled on the nut or sleeve for inclosing'the ratchet Wheel, lugs on the exterior of the housing, a chain cou pled to one pair of lugs to oscillate the housing in one direction, a take up spring coupled to the other pair of lugs to exert a pull on the housing in the reverse direction, and a pawl for operating the ratchet.

8. In a brake slack adjuster, the combination with a threaded brake rod, and a ratchet driven nut or sleeve engaging the same, of a closed housing j ournaled on the nut or sleeve for inclosing the ratchet wheel, lugs on the exterior of the housings, a curved link passing part way around the housing and coupled to the lugs, for the connection thereto of a pull chain.

4:. In a brake slack adjuster, the combination of a sleeve having ratchet teeth, a rod extending through the said sleeve and secured thereto, the said rod having oppositely disposed threaded ends, interiorly threaded buckles for engaging the said threaded ends, brake levers to which the said buckles are coupled by pins, a housing journaled freely on the sleeve so as to inclose the ratchet teeth, and a pawl inside the housing for operating the said ratchet teeth.

5. In a brake slack adjuster, the combination of a brake rod holding on at one end to one brake beam, a second brake rod holding on at one end to. the other brake beam, and having pivotal connections at the other end with the respective brake levers, a

ratchet driven rod having oppositely disposed threaded ends screwed into interiorly threaded buckles which are coupled to the short arms of the respective brake levers, a housing inclosing the ratchet wheel, a pawl carried thereby for engaging the ratchet teeth, and a chain coupled at one end to the housing and at the other to the long arm of the live brake lever.

6. In a brake slack adjuster, the combination of a brake rod holding on at one end to the brake beam, and having pivotal connections at the other with the brake lever, a ratchet driven screw for adjusting the position of the brake beam relatively to the wheels, a housing inclosing the ratchet wheel, a pawl carried thereby for engaging the ratchet teeth, a chain coupled at one end to the housing and at the other provided with a shackle, secured to the brake lever by a bolt passing through a slot in the brake lever, serrations on the brake lever at each side of the slot, and corresponding serra- V tions on the shackle which engage together when the bolt is screwed up.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 21 day of January 1915, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN EDWARD ANGER.

Witnesses:

G. C. DYMOND, M. Harms.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

